In 2016, I became a religious convert to the Goddamn Comedy Jam (GDCJ) which features masterful host Josh Adam Meyers, a full backing band, and a couple of hype men (think sport mascots without the fuzzy costumes and without a t-shirt cannon). Many of you have heard me go on and on about GDCJ and I refuse to stop. In that first Jam, one of the hype men, known on stage as Mosh Pit, caught my attention – willing to take risks on stage, brimming with high energy and fueling the fire of the engine that drives the excitement of the Jam. Doing my homework, I found out that Mosh Pit was Jeremiah Watkins, an LA comic who settled there after growing up in Kansas. I was so interested in getting to learn more about Watkins that I sat down with him before his 2017 Moontower shows after he had spent all day flying with barely any sleep. As you’ll hear in the 2018 edition of my interview, being tired has become a signature of our podcasts together.As a fan, I’ve been lucky to watch Jeremiah shine on his various high-profile shows – from the Jam, to being part of the Wave in Jeffrey Ross’ Roast Battle, to Kill Tony (as the bandleader he picks a new costume and joke theme each week). While these are all supporting cast roles, during this year’s Moontower, I caught Jeremiah doing an improvised set during Jessimae Peluso’s Seven Deadly Sins showcase and also on his own signature showcase Standup On the Spot. My bingo card of Watkins shows complete, I was thrilled to get my hunch confirmed – everything is falling into place. The last year has felt like we’ve been watching that classmate that is capable of being the star quarterback and the debate team captain, maintaining a straight A average, finding time to volunteer at the local animal shelter, holding down a job, AND being the class clown. It’s wondrous to realize just how talented they are, so you either envy them or root for them. You can guess which camp I fall into.

Watkins launched his second podcast Jeremiah Wonders in January of 2018 and this podcast combines benchmarks, character work and provides insight into the comedy industry. I liken it to the Advanced Course where Jeremiah’s inaugural podcast, The Building Years, was the Introductory course in building a comedy career in LA. A very unique element to his podcast is the weekly Kindness Challenge which encourages listeners to be kind to others and share stories of kindness.Like a classic infomercial, I feel like yelling “But WAIT, there’s MORE!!”. Jeremiah and long-time collaborator, Pat Regan, are Regan and Watkins, a live comedy music duo who perform original parodies. Regan and Watkins completed recording their first album just before Moontower and are putting the finishing touches on the 21 track album in hopes of a summer release. If you’re looking for even more of Watkins, he was on the Season Finale of Crashing on HBO as part of The Wave of the Roast Battle. When he looks into the crystal ball, Watkins is hoping that by this time next year, a show that he’s been developing with Josh Adam Meyers and Avery Pearson is up and running. But, he clearly adores his time on Kill Tony and thinks that there’s something so unique about that format that he hopes he can help take it to new levels. The good news for us is that Jeremiah has already committed to coming back to check in on how things have been going in this upcoming year. He may be in his pajamas and fuzzy slippers, but we know that when we catch up with him for 2019 Moontower, he’ll have achieved even more great things while continuing to be the nice guy advancing the kindness challenge everywhere he goes.